Because I Love You
by Rolling Hannah
Summary: Made a oneshot. Alibaba and Morgiana are married. Mor hears something that worries her. Will her worries be proved wrong? Image by （ r y on Pixiv. UPDATE SPOILER- I read Chapter 200. Let's pretend they were really dating.


The rain was cold.

But Morgiana liked it.

The large stone balcony had no overhang, so anyone who stood on i was guaranteed sopping wet clothes.

The cold, wet embrace felt good, wrapping her in what felt like an eternal embrace. But what she felt didn't matter.

The water would dry eventually.

She didn't flinch when she heard the door swing open behind her.

"Morgiana!"

She turned around, her red eyes appearing calm.

Two men stood before her. One tall, with golden blonde hair and matching eyes. His robes were extravagant and beautiful. He wore an expression of confusion and amusement, probably wondering why his wife and queen was alone in the rain.

The other was younger, lanky, a long, azure braid and bright, expressive eyes.

"You'll catch cold like that, Mor."

She'd never get used to hearing her childish nickname with that deeper voice he had developed.

The Fanalis smiled a little, "A small cold isn't a big deal."

"I'm sure you'll be saying that while you're flinging snot all over the place."

Her husband had removed one of his robes and draped it over her soaked shoulders, smirking at her. He began leading her back towards the doorway he had come from.

"So you're more concerned about the state of your palace, Alibaba?"

She heard him laugh, "Of course."

He lead her over to their bed, sitting her down on the edge. The young magi had taken to drying and wringing out her long, red hair with a towel.

The warmth and happiness the two of them emitted always made her feel safe. The time since she was freed had probably been the happiest period of her life. Being in their warmth... Alibaba's warmth most of all.

His proposal had shocked her. But not in the same way that the prince of the Kou Empire's had. His had shocked her, and made her feel sick at the thought of leaving her two loved ones behind. But this was a different feeling. One of joy, excitement, and disbelief.

Why would he choose a common slave over one of the countless beautiful noble women in the world?

When she had posed the question herself, squeezing the hands that held both of hers, he had simply replied with a huge grin on his face, "Because I love you."

She can still remember the way her face had heated up, and the way she had tried to pull her hands free to cover her red-stained cheeks.

Her reaction had caused him to hold her hands tighter, bringing them to his chest.

"Don't you love me too?"

She had looked up long enough to see the intense look of anguish in his eyes. The sight still broke her heart to this day.

Morgiana had nodded her head quickly, unable to get the words she really wanted to say out of her throat. Alibaba had sighed deeply, smiling sadly.

He suddenly had pulled her into an embrace, his arms around her small shoulders.

"T-Thank goodness... I was afraid that you didn't feel the same." She could feel his nose nuzzling the soft, shorter hair around her temple, sighing.

They were married some time later.

She still remembered how many times he had told her he loved her on their wedding night. Twenty-three.

He said those words to her multiple times a day, reminding her of the fact. He always made sure he did especially at night when they retired. Some nights they would go straight to sleep, others they would engage in activities that still embarrassed her every time she thought about them. But when he held her before she fell asleep he would play with her deep, crimson hair and tuck the covers in around her. He would always kiss her forehead in the same spot above her right eyebrow.

On some nights, when the magi would feel uneasy or be plagued by nightmares, he would join them like a small child seeking comfort from a parent. Aladdin would curl up at Morgiana's side, her back to him. He had been sad the day that Alibaba told him that he was "too old" to sleep next to him. Claiming that it was "odd", "improper", and made him uncomfortable. So he glued himself to Mor's side, his hands curled up her his face. And sometimes, when Alibaba had fallen so asleep that his hold on his wife had loosened, she would turn over and talk with the younger magi, comforting him until he fell asleep. And when she woke up, the magi would be gone, and her husband would be awake, playing with her hair again.

This is how Morgiana remembered her first several months married to Alibaba Saluja.

But the complete bliss didn't last as long as she wanted.

When a group of noblemen would visit the palace to discuss business with the king, they would usually bring their wives. Alibaba had given her the job of keeping the spoiled, rich women—which he had come to despise—entertained until the equally spoiled noblemen had been taken care of. He had felt guilty at giving her such a difficult and irritating job, but she understood. Life would be so much easier with half the number of shrieking people before him, yelling and griping that wealthy people shouldn't pay taxes like the middle class. Or complaining about a "commoner" looking at them the wrong way. It was exhausting, but he sat and pretended to listen intently, wanting all of his citizens to be happy.

Morgiana thought that keeping the women corralled was the least she could do.

But it had proved as too much.

She had been assisting a servant in bringing trays of drinks to the girls when she stopped outside the door, curious of the women's suddenly less bubbly conversation. They had suddenly begun to speak in quieter undertones, as if afraid of attracting attention.

"-actually a very common occurrence with royalty."

"Really? I've never heard of such a thing!"

"But yes! When you're that powerful, people think nothing of being unfaithful."

Morgiana furrowed her brows in confusion. What on Earth are they talking about?

She turned her gaze to the servant next to her, who gave her an equally perplexed expression. Morgiana turned her gaze back to the closed door.

"But you don't think Alibaba would-"

"Why not? He's certainly quite attractive. He could attract as many mistresses as he wanted!"

The queen's eyes widened in sudden recognition. Her anguished face looked back toward the servant, who sook her head frantically as if to say "No! Don't listen to them, my lady!"

"But he does seem very fond of that queen of his."

"Fondness is very different from lust, I promise you that."

Morgiana had heard enough. She dropped the tray, the glasses of wine toppling over and shattering against the stone, carpet covered floor. A thick, red stain bled across the rug, reminding her of blood.

Suddenly she was reminded of the occasional nights that her husband would not retire at the same time she did. She would lie asleep alone until late at night he would appear, looking exhausted. He sometimes had extra work, but what if...

It made her sick, the thought of him touching a woman other than her...

What if work wasn't the only thing he did during those late hours?

She had sworn that her heart had shattered that day.

She had stormed off, determined to forget what she had heard.

That was only two weeks ago.

Aladdin had left, the room now containing only the king and his queen. He was in one corner of the large suite, rummaging through drawers, attempting to find her some dry clothes. Morgiana remained on the edge of the bed, sitting in silence. She clutched Alibaba's robe tighter around herself.

"Why are you so distant lately?"

Her gaze left the floor to look up at her husband that stood in front of her, his eyes scrunched up in worry.

It was true, though. She had entered a period of depression. Most of the time she remained stoic, like how she had been in her younger years when they had met. But now she never smiled. It pained him. It made his heart ache.

He sat the nightdress on the be and squatted down to her height, wrapping the robe tighter around her. He grasped her shoulders. He had such a sad expression in his eyes.

He looked back to her, saying, "D-Did I... Do something wrong?"

Morgiana angled her gaze down and away from him, whispering something he couldn't hear. His brows furrowed further, uttering a quiet "what".

She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the urge to shed tears. She bit her lip, and then took a deep breath.

_"Y-You've been unfaithful, haven't you?"_

He'd never be able to describe the intense amount of emotion he felt at hearing those words. Sadness, anger, worry, regret, and so much more.

He wanted to be angry at her. He really did. But he had been taught by Aladdin that anger tended to make things worse. Then what could he do? He had to bite back tears as he took her smaller hands in his. He sat next to her on the edge of the bed, holding her hands tighter.

"Look at me, Morgiana Saluja."

She did as he asked of her.

His eyes didn't leave hers as he asked her, "Remember when I was dating Toto?"

Her brows furrowed in agony as she nodded slowly, remembering the pain the tome had caused her. She bit her lip, finally letting a tear slip down her cheek, dripping off her chin onto the already-wet dress she was in.

He smiled sadly at her. "When I was in Reim, I didn't have you or Aladdin. I was very lonely. And when I met Toto, I suddenly was reminded of you.

"She was very strong—not as strong as you, but still very strong. I always worried about you guys. I was sure Aladdin could take care of himself, but I was constantly afraid that you would exhaust your magoi again or that your Household Vessel eould break. Giving you that spare eased my worries a bit, but I still worried," he laughed lightly.

"And seeing someone a lot like you made me feel less worried for some reason that I still can't explain. Before I knew it, I had feelings for her. But, I didn't love her. If I had, it would her her hands I'm holding right now wouldn't it?"

Morgiana's tears were flowing freely now, accompanied by small sniffles and hiccups.

"I'd never do anything with intimate with a woman I didn't love. And I only love one. Morgiana!" He broke into a huge grin, tears stinging his eyes as well.

She collapsed against him, holding onto his white linen shirt. He hugged her tight, cheek resting in her damp hair.

"Where did you hear such nonsense, anyway?"

"S-Some women said t-that... Other kings cheat on their wives a lot."

She felt him smirk into her hair. "But you know that I'm not like other kings."

She nodded.

She muttered an apology, he only said, "You're worrying me, Morgiana. You never cry."

He heard her make a small "hmph" noise into his chest.

He suddenly leaned down to her ear, whispering, "You know... I could always show you how much I love you instead of telling you." He threaded his fingers through her hair, "You need to get out of these wet clothes, anyway."

At this she flushed bright red, harshly pushing him away in embarrassment. Her cheeks were puffed out, her brows furrowed in annoyance. His laugh only embarrassed her further.

"You don't seem to hate it that much while we're doing it."

_"S-Shut up, idiot!"_

Morgiana needn't ever worry. She would always be the only one that he would love—and enjoy embarrassing, for that matter.

**I'm having a crisis with the latest chapter. Stupid Toto! But this is how I percieved it. Maybe Alibaba really missed Mor? It makes sense. But the way that the pair was introduced made me feel like it may not last. So we still have hope my shippers! **


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